By Melody Simmons – Senior Reporter, Baltimore Business Journal
A large local plumbing firm is selling its Baltimore City headquarters and moving to new digs.
Owners of Len the Plumber Heating & Air LLC last week listed the firm’s 24,000-square-foot office and warehouse at 1552 Ridgely St. near M&T Bank Stadium. The firm for years has worked from renovated offices and warehouse space, and officials say they now need more room.
The company doesn’t plan to move far, but representatives for Len the Plumber declined to share the new location. Details like the size of the new office and a timeline for the move were also being held close to the vest, a top company official said through a spokesperson last week.
“As our company grows and creates new jobs, we have outgrown our current space in Baltimore City,” Len the Plumber CEO Jeff Cooper said in a statement. “Our new location, just six miles away, provides the expanded warehouse, office and operational capacity needed to support continued growth. With improved access to major highways, we can enhance efficiency and serve our customers even faster, reinforcing our commitment to top-quality service.”
The residential plumbing, electric and HVAC business serves Greater Baltimore and portions of Washington, D.C. In 2021, the company acquired two smaller firms in Hagerstown and Lancaster, Pennsylvania to further its reach.
Len the Plumber was founded about 30 years ago and has been acquired by private equity firms twice in the last five years. The company was initially purchased in early 2020 by St. Louis-based Thompson Street Capital Partners. Then in 2022, its parent company, LTP Home Services Group, was acquired by Greenwich, Connecticut-based L Catterton. LTP Home Services Group later rebranded as Master Trades Group and today is based in Columbia.
Gold and Co.
Len the Plumber’s current headquarters sits near the city’s emerging entertainment district surrounding the stadium complex. The area, dubbed the “Walk @ Warner Street,” has been targeted for growth, with a Topgolf and the Horseshoe Casino acting as anchors. Plans for a music venue in the area, to be called Paramount Baltimore, have stalled.
The current owner of the headquarters is LHB Benson LLC, which acquired the property in 2012 for $375,000, state records show. The property dates back to 1940, said Jim Chivers, senior vice president at Gold and Co. and the broker for the sale.
“The warehouse has been fully renovated and transformed into professional office space for an executive team and staff,” Chivers said. “Conveniently situated just off Russell Street near M&T Bank Stadium, the building benefits from the flexible industrial zoning.”